MCS Multicast Switch for Next Generation ROADM
Multicast Optical Switch (MCS) is based on PLC technology and MEMS technology and can route any optical input to any output. It is a key component of the next-generation reconfigurable optical add-drop multiplexer (ROADM) system. What is ROADM? ROADM is one of optical add-drop multiplexers (OADM) that adds or removes one or more optical signals to a WDM (Wavelength Division Multiplexing) transmission network connection. The device can be used in DWDM (Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing) systems.
It allows for remote configuration and reconfiguration and can redirect add/drop signal wavelength. That is to say, in the middle of the network line, the wavelength of the add or drop signal can be redistributed to achieve flexible network configuration. Multicast optical switch（MCS）is one of the core devices in the reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplex system. Coupled with the wavelength selective switch (WSS), Multicast switches are designed to be used in a next-generation ROADM node to achieve wavelength independent, direction independent, and no conflicts.
Directing any wavelength to any port is the wavelength independent; Accepting input wavelength channels from multiple different directions is the direction independent; Ability to drop two identical wavelengths from different directions through the same switch is the no conflicts.This is of great importance in order to achieve flexibility and low network construction costs. Structure MCS As shown in the figure, two independent MCS units are integrated in one module;
Each unit consists of M independent 1×16 PLC splitters and N independent 1×8 MEMS optical switches. M×N MCS is helping to lead the optical direction from N add (or drop) to M. ports. As network scalability continues to increase and demand for higher and lower channel capacities and termination nodes grows, WSS+ MCS becomes a smarter one be tools. selected by telecom operators and system operators for the next generation of CDC-ROADM. Simple, flexible and unlimited ways to allocate network resources and significantly reduce operational costs for operators.